


The Clinic

by a_xmasmurder



Series: What Sherlock Will Lick for Science [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Experiments, Gen, John is getting sick of this, Science, Sherlock wants to get sick again, This is a weird world we live in, it's for science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-24
Updated: 2013-02-24
Packaged: 2017-12-03 10:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/697412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_xmasmurder/pseuds/a_xmasmurder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written in Antidiogenes, it's a prompt, don't kill me. </p><p>Sherlock is apparently good with children. John is tired and in shock. Sarah doesn't know what to think anymore.</p><p>Eccentric flatmate is eccentric. And a tiny bit...off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Clinic

The waiting room is absolutely full.  
  
Completely, utterly full.  
  
John rolls his head around to work out the kinks that have developed in the eight hours he’s been here at the clinic, treating one case of the flu after another.   
  
“I’m not sure how much more I can take,” he mutters around his mug of weak hospital coffee. From the corner, Sam nods in agreement.   
  
“I’m with you there, John. So many people here. So. Many. Sick. People.”  
  
“Yes.” His phone beeps once; his fifteen minutes of sanity is over. “Back to work, yeah?”  
  
Sam throws his paper cup away. “Once more into the breech.”  
  
John nods, and wearily notes how heavy his head feels. “Lead the way.”  
  
  
  
“Give her a lot of fluids, and keep an eye on that fever. If it doesn’t go down in the next hour, head over to the Accidents and Emergencies.” John lays his hand over the poor girl’s forehead and holds back the wince at the heat coming off her forehead. “Luckily, this flu bug is just the run of the mill kind. Fluids, rest, and suckers will go a long way in speeding up her recovery, alright?”  
  
The frazzled mother cradles her child further into her arms and nods, looking as weary as he feels. “Yes, Dr. Watson.”  
  
“I don’t want to prescribe any medication because this is just a virus. Not much we can do about that, I’m afraid. Just do as I said, and she will be fine. A lukewarm bath wouldn’t go amiss, either.”  
  
“Okay, Doctor.”  
  
He smiles in a way he hoped conveys a healthy dose of optimism and leads them out of his office, and walks to the waiting room to take the next patient.   
  
The sight he sees nearly bowls him over in dismay. “Oh, not again. Not this.”  
  
Sarah quickly catches his attention. “Yeah, he showed up about half an hour ago. He’s...acting weird.”  
  
John watches as Sherlock moves through the crowds, smiling and shaking hands with people. He bends down and examines a little boy’s fire truck, making sure to really touch it before he hands it back with a wide grin at the boy. He stops and talks to the mother, and moves on to the next sick family. John drops his aching head into his hands. “No. He’s not acting weird, he’s acting. He’s doing an experiment. Again.”  
  
Considering how the last experiment ended, he’s pretty sure this one is going to go badly.  
  
He contemplates going over to stop his eccentric and slightly off-center flatmate from doing...well, whatever the hell he’s doing, but then he just stares in shock as Sherlock picks up a toddler and hugs her. Actually hugs. A child.  
  
“I didn’t know he...” Sarah starts but stops, equally as shocked at this development. John can only agree. He’s never really seen Sherlock interact with small children. Well, there was that case of the two children and the chocolate and let’s not remember that, yeah? But other than that...wow.  
  
Sherlock smiles and nuzzles the cooing girl, talking in his deep baritone at her. He shifts his arms around her and blinks, bringing his face very, very close to hers. She giggles loudly, and for some odd reason, her mother is okay with all of this, John thinks. Well, considering she’s also juggling two slightly older twin boys who are fighting...she welcomes someone, anyone, who can hold on to her littlest, even for a little while.   
  
John can feel something in his chest, something very heavy and hard. He swallows around it. “My god, he’s amazing with kids.” Truly amazing. Sarah shakes her head in awe.   
  
“I didn’t think it would be possible. It’s an act, right? All of this?”  
  
The two doctors watch Sherlock babble at the child. John isn’t too sure if it’s all an act anymore.  
  
And then the baby let loose a very big sneeze. Right in Sherlock’s face.  
  
John’s body jerks in response, ready to catch a dropped toddler...  
  
“Ooh, wasn’t that a big sneeze!” Sherlock laughs and moves her over to his hip, then pulls out a silk handkerchief and wipes his face off. John squinted in shock; did he just lick his lips? Did he?  
  
The harried mother runs over and apologizes profusely, which Sherlock ignores completely and flaps his hand at her. “Oh, it’s fine, fine. It’s not like little Lizzie knows any better. She’s just a child!” He smiles and jogs the sniffling girl on his hip and hands her the kerchief. “Here, Lizzie. Wipe your nose good, now there’s a good girl!”  
  
John blinks in shock, now also because he really can’t believe the idiot actually licked his bloody lips after being sneezed on by a germ factory! Oh. Oh, wait. No. It’s...that experiment. Oh, dear God. He slaps his forehead and groans. “I can’t believe this.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Sherlock’s doing his ‘I’m going to see how long it takes me to get sick’ experiment again.”  
  
“You’re kidding.”  
  
“Not one bit. I wish I was.” ****  
  
  



End file.
